


i read the stories in your eyes

by birdbox (Bella_Barbaric)



Series: two worlds colliding [6]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, extras on a movie set!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 20:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1791706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_Barbaric/pseuds/birdbox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>and I’d choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.</i><br/> <br/>"So..." he says. "What's our story?"</p><p>Not exactly what Emma was expecting. She's done a lot of these things and the usual topic of conversation is about who's going to be on set that day and whether they'll be nice enough to allow bathroom breaks.  "Excuse me?" </p><p>"What are our motivations?" he elaborates with flourish of his hands. He sounds British, so it's puzzling how he ended up being an extra on a movie set in New York of all places.  "How exactly did we end up here, about to be in the background of the smash hit romantic comedy Once Upon a Time leads while they have a playful, flirtatious tête-à-tête about life?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	i read the stories in your eyes

"Can you go and sit over there please?" a harried-looking production assistant directs Emma to a cafe table with a sharp point. "The actors will be doing a walk-by scene shortly."

Emma nods. There's another extra sitting there already, who will presumably be her scene-mate for however long this thing takes. He's spinning a coin on the table, the light of the sun catching on it. Emma sits down opposite him and he looks up. He's shockingly good looking--in Emma's opinion, better looking than the lead actor on the film especially when he smiles like he is right now.

He stops fiddling with the coin and leans towards her, resting his stubble-covered chin on his hands. "So..." he says. "What's our story?"

Not exactly what Emma was expecting. She's done a lot of these things and the usual topic of conversation is about who's going to be on set that day and whether they'll be nice enough to allow bathroom breaks.  "Excuse me?" 

"What are our motivations?" he elaborates with flourish of his hands. He sounds British, so it's puzzling how he ended up being an extra on a movie set in New York of all places.  "How exactly did we end up here, about to be in the background of the smash hit romantic comedy Once Upon a Time leads while they have a playful, flirtatious tête-à-tête about life?"

"Why don't you go and ask the director? I'm sure he'll be thrilled to answer character motivation questions from an non-speaking extra." Emma raises an eyebrow at him.

The man laughs and shakes his head. "Come on, we might be sitting here a while while they set this scene up--there are worse ways to pass the time."

This is all true. The actors haven't even got to set yet as far as she knows and who knows how long _that'll_ take, and Emma knows from experience that that won't be the end of the delays before they start shooting.

It's a good thing Emma's a patient person because there's an awful lot of waiting around that comes with extras work--sometimes at night and in ridiculous cold but the money is worth it. Three hundred bucks a day and more didn't come from many other jobs aside from stripping (which Emma tried once but didn't take to it--kudos to those who did though). Far from being a budding actress planning her Oscar acceptance speech like some extras were, this is primarily a money gig to pay off student loans. Much better than the twelve bucks an hour she got for baby-sitting and once she even got to shake Tom Hanks' hand as part of a scene.

"All right then," Emma concedes, tapping her lips in thought. "How about... you're my good-for-nothing ex boyfriend who cheated on me and is currently grovelling for a second chance?"

He claps a hand over his heart in mock offence. "Oh, that's harsh! I wouldn't  _cheat!"_

 _"_ Wouldn't you?"

"No!" The man retorts, as though hurt by the accusation. Then he shrugs, giving her a smouldering look that Emma is pretty sure is illegal in all fifty states and US territories. Apparently not in Britain though. "A man would be a fool to cheat if you were his girlfriend, love... I'm no fool."

Emma's mouth falls open a little because Jesus, this sex god of a background actor is _actually_ flirting with her. A flush works its way up her cheeks. "You don't know me," she says softly, holding his piercing eyes.

"Yes, I do!" The teasing tone is back and the sudden change in tone leaves Emma scramble to catch up with the man's thought process. It's strangely enjoyable though. "Because we're international spy partners about to embark on a major operation to bring down a corrupt politician whilst navigating a love-hate relationship with each other and the frisson of sexual chemistry that imbues our every interaction."

Emma snorts loudly, drawing the eyes of the PAs milling around and some of the other extras. "That's an impressive mental leap--from an ex-boyfriend and girlfriend to international spies."

"I know. Good, aren't I?" He smirks. "There's more where that came from."

"I bet there is. Why don't we play characters slightly more down-to-earth? This could be the fractious meeting in a cafe between a brother and a sister after the tragic and mysterious death of their father."

The man blows a raspberry, shaking his head. "That'd never work. They'd never cast us as brother and sister."

"And why's that?" 

"Firstly, we look nothing alike. Secondly, you're way too attracted to me. It'd come off weird and incestuous on screen."

Emma lets out a few shocked gasps of laughter. "Oh my god, you're full of it!"

The man grins. "It's okay, you know. It happens. When you're this devillishly handsome, you kind of get used to it."

"You're obnoxious, you know that?"

"Only for you, darling."

This conversation is far more familiar than it really ought to be for a guy she doesn't even know the name of and met less than five minutes ago. Emma leans back in the chair, trying to suppress her grin. She wonders if he's being honest, or if he really is like this with everyone but either way he's fast becoming one of the most intriguing people she's met in a while.

"Okay, I've got one," Emma tells him, leaning forward again and copying his stance- chin on hand. The table isn't all that wide so this action means they're very close together. 

His eyes dance, cocking his head. "I'm listening."

"You're a cocky playboy half-assing his way through a business degree being sustained by your trust fund and oil baron daddy's handouts"

The man frowns. "It seems like you're heaping scorn on me right now, love. I hope this gets better."

"It does, now shut up--I'm on a roll here," Emma snaps playfully and he holds up his hands, gesturing for her to go on. "I'm a down-on-her-luck barmaid trying to support myself and pay for my degree which -surprise, surprise- is from the same college at you're at. Then, one evening-"

"-I walk into the bar you're working at," the man continues for her and Emma grins. "Having just had my arse handed to me by my professor who wants to know why I keep missing deadlines for essays and I look up... and I see you. You're instantly attracted to me, and we have hot sex against the bar's bathroom tiles-"

Emma cuts in over him. "You think I'm way out of your league and you would be right. But I'm sufficiently charmed by your sad puppy eyes"-the man sticks his bottom lip out on cue and Emma gives him a thumbs up- "that I give you a drink. On the house, of course."

"Cue a few chance meetings in the halls of the university we both attend a drunken kiss at party leading to a peppy relationship montage set to a upbeat indie song, until -serious original movie score track-  I realise that for the first time in my life, I'm falling in love with the beautiful, snarky and smart blonde-haired goddess."

Emma looks down in an attempt to hide her mirth at the sort-of real compliment. "But you're afraid of commitment and when I lose my job and have to think about dropping out of college, you think it's fine to interfere in my life and start paying my fees for me without telling me, which, along with various other misunderstandings and arguments leads to-" Emma gestures around her "-the break up scene. We're both deeply in love with each other and maybe we could make it work if we just had the guts to say the words out loud but we don't, and I leave in tears."

The man is gripped apparently, his forget-me-not blue eyes locked with hers. "And then?" he murmurs.

Emma's eyes flick down to his lips involuntarily and they move infinitesimally closer. Swallowing loudly, Emma leans back and breaks the intense moment. "Haven't got to that part yet."

She shrugs and smiles. The man leans back too, folding his arms. "We should go and pitch this to the director. It's a hit movie waiting to be made."

"It really is," Emma agrees.

"I can see our names up in lights already: written by and starring Killian Jones and..."

"Emma Swan."

The man -Killian- grins and holds his hand out for her to shake. "Killian Jones and Emma Swan. If you don't mind me saying, we make quite the team."

She takes his hand. "That we do."


End file.
